Improvement in scale-beams



J. WEEKS'. Scale-Beams.

No. 204,177. Patented May 28,1878.

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N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASmNGTDN. D C.

TUNTTED STATES PATENTQTCE.

JOHN WEEKS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN SCALE-BEAMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,177, dated May 28,1878; application iled May 8, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WEEKS, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie andState of New York, have made certain Improvements in Beams ofWeighing-Scales, of which the following is a specification:

This improvement relates to all graduated scale-beams, and the inventionis intended to do away with the multiplication of' beams by notating ona single beam dierent lines of Iigures, (or other weighing characters,)each line forming a progressive series from the end of one line to thebeginning ot' the other, and so on, and putting on this single beam as.many permanentand sliding poises as there are lines of iigures, eachhaving its poise own index pointing exclusively to the line which itoperates, all as hereinafter fully explained.

In the drawing the tigure is a side elevation, showing the single beam,having two lines of tigures thereon, the lirst or upper line, ending in5, representing pounds, and progressing to the next line, whichcommences with the ligure 6, ending in 10, that being the capacity ofthat beam. In a scale these iigures may represent either units,hundreds, or thousands, according to the requirements or size of thescale.

On this beam are two sliding and permanently-arranged poises, A B, theright-hand one, A, (shown at the extreme end or" the beam,) indicatingthat it weighs up to [ive pounds, being the extent of that line ot'iigures. The second poise, B, is indexed at 8, which would be the sum ofthe weight indicated by the poises. The position of the poises, when notin use, are the extreme left on the beam. Each poise has its own index,a, and arranged so as to point only to the iigures of its own line. Thefirst poise, A, is always moved iirst until its own line of figures isexhausted, and the poise is then left at the extreme right end; then thesecond poise is moved, and, in case the weight exceeds that line offigures, a third line and a third poise will be used, and so on up toany amount desired; though, of course, a two-line and twopoise scalewill only be made to weigh so much, a three-line scale so much more, andS0 OIL In constructing scales with graduated beams, large amounts cannotbe weighed accurately down to the lowest denomination without extendingthe length of the beam, so as to make it inconveniently long and tooheavy to be sensitive for small amounts, and it has been customary,therefore, to employ separate beams, one or more for the heavy and onefor the light weights, which must be added together to ascertain theaggregate amount; but this improvement obviates the necessity for theseseparate beams by placing two or more poises upon one beam, with anindex upon each poise pointing to a distinct line of iigures, thenumbers ot' which form a progressive series from one line of tigures tothe other.

By using several poises and corresponding lines of iigures on a singlebeam, I get the advantage of a beam as many times as long as the one nowused as there are lines of figures on the beam, and thus eitherincreasing the capacity without increasing its length or increasing thesubdivisions into more minute denominations.

My improvement does not relate to the progressive series of marking thefigures from one beam to another, as described in my Patent No. 97,253,issued November 23, 1869, but is designed to reduce the number of beamsby increasing the power of one beam, thus rendering it more simple,cheap of construction, lighter, and consequently more sensitive.

Another advantage of this single-beam construction over the compoundbeam is, that with the latter parties using the scales with severalbeams thereon are apt to weigh wrongly bymovin g the poise on tliebeamnearest to them without iirst sliding down the poise on the tirst beam.My single beam renders wrong weighing impossible, as the irst poise hasto be moved first, and the weight cannot be indicated until the severalpoises are properly set.

I claim- 1. A single beam for platform or other graduated beam-scales,having thereon dien ent lines of ngures, forming a progressive seriesfrom one line to the other, so as to operate as one continuous line orscale, substanyIn witness whereof I have hereunto signed tially asspecified. my name in the presence of two subscribing 2. In aWeighing-scale, two or more sliding witnesses.

poises moving on a single Vbeam, each poise l JOHN WEEKS. with an indexpointing to a separate line of Witnesses: igures -on the single beam,substantially as J. R. BRAKE,

hereinbefore specified.

T. H. PARSONS.

